The Landing »

John Ibbitson is the author of Jeremy's War 1812 and other novels. He is the Washington correspondent for The Globe and Mail. His novel The Landing won the Governor General's Literary Award in 2008. John grew up in the area depicted in the The Landing.

John Ibbitson’s compelling novel tells the story of a talented young violin player who yearns to escape his rural home and discover his calling.

Children's Literature

Ben Mercer's future is as predictable as the cycle of seasons on the remote Canadian farm where he lives: he will grow up and take over the day-to-day operations of Cook's Landing where rich vacationers come to get supplies and boat repairs. He hates giving up his dream of playing the violin, but sees no way out, as there is no one else to take care of his widowed mother and bitter uncle. When a wealthy American woman—heir to her late husband's publishing fortune—buys the island across from Cook's Landing, Ben receives more than a well-paying job fixing up Ruth Chapman's neglected cottage; he gets a peek into an entirely different world, one of fancy dinner parties, famous writers, and loads of luxuries. The more Ruth teaches Ben about music, the more desperate to avoid a life of poverty at the Landing he becomes. Sadly, as Ben's heartache grows, Ruth becomes increasingly remote, until she leaves the island altogether, shattering Ben's vision of escape. A quietly emotional tale about an artist on the outside looking in, this novel by one of Canada's most well-known writers and journalists recreates Muskoka, an area north of Toronto, in 1934. While generally well written and beautifully vivid in its descriptions, the author relies on deus ex machina to bring about a resolution to Ben's seemingly insurmountable problem. Themes of loss, family discord, and frustrated ambitions will resonate with readers, who will cheer for Ben in his moments of glory and yearn for his freedom. Reviewer: Keri Collins Lewis